History of India

The History of India for times preceding 1947 is inseparable from that of the history of the Indian subcontinent as a whole. The neolithic Indus Valley civilization in the 3rd millennium BCE extended over much of what is now Pakistan and the western Republic of India. The Vedic civilization until the 1st millennium BCE spread over all of northern India, from the Punjab and the Gangetic plain to Bangladesh, so that with the beginning historical period of the Middle kingdoms, northern India was dominated by the Arya, while in the south Dravidian culture was prominent. From the 10th century, Islamic empires were established in northwestern India, culminating with the Mughal era. The history of Colonial India begins in the 17th century, leading up to British control after the revolt of 1857. The independence movement resulted in a split of the British Raj into the contemporary states of the Republic of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Late Middle Kingdoms - the classical age

Later, the Chola kingdom emerged in northern Tamil Nadu, and the Chera kingdom in Kerala. The ports of southern India were involved in the Indian Ocean trade, chiefly involving spices, with the Roman Empire to the west and Southeast Asia to the east. In the north, the first of the Rajputs, a series of kingdoms which managed to survive in some form for almost a millennium until Indian independence from the British.

Related Topics:
Chola - Tamil Nadu - Chera - Kerala - Indian Ocean - Spice - Roman Empire - Southeast Asia - Rajputs

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Harsha's empire

King Harsha of Kannauj succeeded in reuniting northern India during his reign in the 7th century. His kingdom collapsed after his death. From the 7th to the 9th century, three dynasties contested for control of northern India: the Pratiharas of Malwa and later Kannauj; the Palas of Bengal, and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan.

Related Topics:
Harsha - Kannauj - 7th century - 9th century - Pratihara - Malwa - Palas - Bengal - Rashtrakuta

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The Chalukyas and Pallavas

The Chalukya Empire ruled parts of southern India from 550 to 750 and again from 970 to 1190. The Pallavas were their contemporaries to the south. Over a period of roughly a century, the two kingdoms fought a series of low-intensity wars, each conquering the other's capitals at various points. The kings of Sri Lanka and the Keralan Cheras rendered support to the Pallavas, while the Pandyas rendered support to the Chalukyas. Whilst the northern concept of a pan-Indian empire had collapsed at the end of Harsha's empire, the ideal instead shifted to the south. The two dynasties were responsible for some of the greatest examples of both rock-cut and free-standing temples.

Related Topics:
Chalukya - Pallavas - Sri Lanka - Cheras - Pandyas - Chalukyas

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Chola empire

The Cholas emerged as the most powerful empire in the south in the 9th century and retained their pre-eminent position until the 13th century when the Karnatakan Vijayanagar empire was founded. The Cholas, like the Chalukyas and Pallavas before them, and the Vijaynagar after them, were responsible for some of India's finest monuments, and being located on the south tip of the peninsula, ruled Sri Lanka, and culturally dominated most of South East Asia, where the Hindu Srivijaya and Khmer empires of Indonesia and Cambodia used south Indian temple design.

Related Topics:
Cholas - Vijayanagar - Chalukyas - Pallavas - Vijaynagar - Sri Lanka - South East Asia - Srivijaya - Khmer - Indonesia - Cambodia

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The Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas

The Pratiharas, also called the Gurjara-Pratiharas were an Indian dynasty who ruled kingdoms in Rajasthan and northern India from the sixth to the eleventh centuries. The Pala Empire controlled Bihar and Bengal, from the 8th to the 12th century. The Rashtrakutas were a dynasty which ruled the Deccan during the 8th-10th centuries after the end of Chalukya rule. Each three kingdoms vied for north Indian domination around the same time that the Cholas were flourishing in the south.

Related Topics:
Pratiharas - Rajasthan - Pala Empire - Bihar - Bengal - Rashtrakutas - Deccan - Chalukya - Cholas

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The Rajputs

The first recorded Rajput kingdoms emerged in Rajasthan in the 6th century, and Rajput dynasties later ruled much of northern India, including Gujarat (Solankis), Malwa (Paramaras), Bundelkhand (Chandelas), and Haryana (Tomaras). The Pallava dynasty of Kanchipuram ruled southeastern India from from 4th century to the 9th century. The Pratihar ruled northern India before the Rajputs. Various other dynasties such as the Yadav, Chera, Hoysala, Sena and Pala controlled various empires of their own.

Related Topics:
Rajput - Rajasthan - 6th century - Gujarat - Solanki - Malwa - Paramara - Bundelkhand - Chandela - Haryana - Tomara - Pallava - Kanchipuram - 4th century - 9th century - Pratihar - Yadav - Chera - Hoysala - Sena - Pala

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